


Traitor

by Servena



Category: Charlie Bone Series | Children of the Red King - Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Gen, Shapeshifting, The ruin, changing sides
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-08-24 06:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8360731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Servena/pseuds/Servena
Summary: Without Asa, they would have never found it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sommerchallenge 2016.

Without Asa, they would have never found it.

He passes her in the hall two days after she asked for the favour and whispers, “There is a small slot in the wall at the end of the corridor after you turn right at the water fountain. Something is buried there but I couldn’t reach it.”

“Thanks”, she whispers back and disappears into the crowd before Manfred can see them together.

She waits until the matron has made her nightly round to sneak out of the dorm room. In a deserted corridor she opens a window, steps onto the window sill and then she flies, flies into the night, soaring through the air with wings that have been arms just a moment ago. She glides over the old ruin until she can see the water fountain, where she lands softly on the ground. She moulds her shape back into that of a girl with practised ease before she steps into the darkness of the corridor.

She couldn’t bring a torch with her, but the moonlight shines through the other end of the corridor, where she finds the crumbling wall and the slot Asa was talking about. Her slim hand barely fits through and then she holds it in her hands, the small silver locket that had once, hundreds of years ago, belonged to the Queen.

“Good girl”, says a voice behind her and she jumps. “Now give me that.” She turns around to see Manfred standing behind her, a dark silhouette in front of the night sky.

She tightens her grip on the locket. “I’m not giving it to you.”

“It doesn’t belong to you!” Manfred steps closer and she retreats until her back hits the wall.

“It belongs to all the children of the red king. And you’re only going to use it for evil!”

Manfred chuckles. “What are you planning to do, run away? You’ll only get lost in the ruin. And then the beast will find you.”

She can see something moving in the shadows of the corridor next to them, and she hears the sound of breathing and the clinking of claws over the old cobbles.

“I think the beast has already found us”, she says.

There’s a snarl, and then the creature steps into the moonlight. It is bigger than any dog they’ve ever seen, with yellow eyes and canine teeth. Coarse dark hair covers the body that looks like a twisted wolf. It stalks up to them, teeth bared, growling.

She can see the fear in Manfred’s eyes, but he tries to appear calm. “Give me the locket, girl. Then _maybe_ nothing will happen to you.”

“No”, she just says.

The beast steps closer and Manfred backs off, giving her space to step away from the wall. He’s staring past her at the creature, eyes wide in fear.

“Asa”, he says warningly. The beast just growls louder.

She doesn’t turn her head to look at it, instead keeping her eyes on Manfred. When she feels the hot breath of the beast on her fingers, she puts her hand on its head to scratch it between the ears.

Manfred watches in disbelief as the beast moves its head so she can reach his chin. “So that’s how it is”, he spits. “Traitor.”

“I think it’s you who should run”, Emma says calmly.

Asa snaps at him and Manfred stumbles back, almost falling over a loose cobblestone. Then he turns around and flees.

Emma looks after him, then she puts the chain of the locket around her neck and turns to Asa. “Thanks”, she says quietly.

The beast throws its head back and sends a long howl up to the night sky.


End file.
